Two Roads

Cal has a vision of being on a street with big buildings. People are happy and marching with signs, but Cal hears tanks and becomes both worried about and angry with his father. However, he knows that he cannot let a daydream dictate his life. He knows that he must allow Pop to fight the battles he needs to fight.

At Challagi, Cal and Pop see many boys marching, some with white skin and some with very dark skin. There is a big band playing. A large group of people gathers in bleachers; many girls attend as well. Pop explains that this dress parade happens weekly. During this parade, the older boys compete to earn privileges. Cal panics. They see Superintendent Morrell, and Cal notices a boy with a scar on his face. The superintendent then makes a speech about how these children will live differently than “their savage forebears” (139). The boys and girls are kept apart from each other, but Pop mentions that many marriages have originated at Challagi nonetheless. The superintendent comes over and shakes their hands, and he compliments Pop on the agricultural prowess he showed while he was a student at the school. It is not the beginning of the school year, but the superintendent is sure that the government will subsidize Cal’s education because Pop is “an enrolled member of the Creek Nation” (145).